


Road to Road, Bed to Bed

by melliejellie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, M/M, Road Trips, and there was only one bed, bkak are openly lovey dovey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melliejellie/pseuds/melliejellie
Summary: Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Tsukishima head out on a road trip before Bokuto and Kuroo graduate. The days are fun, but at night Bokuto and Akaashi run off to... entertain themselves... leaving Tsukishima alone with Kuroo in increasingly tighter accommodations.(Originally Written for Loveletters -- shippy size zine for Moonrise: A Tsukishima Zine)
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 27
Kudos: 178





	Road to Road, Bed to Bed

A road trip would never be Tsukishima’s first pick for a vacation, but here he is. 4:30AM. Sipping coffee next to his packed bag and enjoying his final moments of peace before Bokuto and Kuroo come crashing back into his life, with Akaashi adding his own special brand of chaos into the mix.

Yesterday the three of them drove up the coast from Tokyo, stopping along sights in Ibaraki before calling it a night in Fukushima.

Honestly, for all the grumbling he does around them, he’s bummed he missed the first day. Their photos of the narcissus fields, in particular, made him long to be there, too.

Plus he misses his friends. He hasn’t seen them much in his first year at university and they’re all busy with their own studies or blooming athletic careers, in Bokuto’s case.

“Which is why we need a road trip!” Kuroo texted one night in the group chat.

Before him and Bokuto became seniors. Before Akaashi started more intense coursework. Before Tsukishima got too busy with his own life up in Miyagi.

Tsukishima complained, naturally, but he had to agree.

Ever since that night, though, he and Kuroo have had their own chat, just the two of them. It started innocently enough - a lot of whining over what sharing a vacation with a lovey-dovey couple would be like for two single people.

But then Kuroo’s texts took on a different tone. Tsukishima can’t quite place it but--

He scrolls back through them, picking each line apart for hints at what might, possibly, maybe lie behind the surface.

Not that he wants anything below the surface.

He’d just like to know.

So he could react appropriately.

Obviously.

A banging on his door interrupts his thoughts

He squeezes his eyes shut, grits his teeth, and takes a deep, steadying breath before reaching for his bag.

***

Exploring Miyagi means that Tsukishima gets to act as a guide. He takes them to the less populated, but no less beautiful, spots along Matsushima bay -- including all his favorite shops that he used to visit with his family.

“Told you this place had the best ice cream,” Tsukishima says, trying to look as smug as he can while his eyes take in the mountain of strawberry delight stacked in a freshly-made cone in his hand. “Worth the wait?”

So far today they’ve already filled their bodies with more junk than Tsukishima’s had in months. It’s like the three of them were toddlers let loose in a grocery store to get snacks for the car. Akaashi turned out to be the worst offender, stocking his “snack pack” with everything that was cheese flavored or super spicy.

“Definitely,” Bokuto nods before biting into his ice cream. With teeth. Like a maniac.

Kuroo cackles before stuffing his own ice cream into his mouth and Akaashi stares at the love of his life with nothing but amused affection.

Tsukishima watches in fascinated horror as Bokuto consumes the entire thing before Tsukishima’s even made a dent in his first scoop.

He doesn’t realize he’s forgotten to keep pace with everyone until Kuroo’s nudging his shoulder.

“Oi, I know it’s a sight to behold but we got places to be!” He grins, his face much too close to Tsukishima’s face. “And you got a little something here.”

Before Tsukishima can pull away, Kuroo’s trailing a finger up from his wrist and along the side of his hand, swiping up a stray bit of melted strawberry ice cream.

Tsukishima watches, wide-eyed, as Kuroo licks his finger clean.

And he knows the ice cream is good, but it definitely doesn’t warrant that look on Kuroo’s face and the contended hum that follows.

Tsukishima’s heart thuds in his chest.

He starts walking again. Briskly.

“Eat your own ice cream,” he shouts over his shoulder.

***

Kuroo’s still grinning, riding high from a day of exploring when Bokuto and Akaashi dart off to their room in the cabin for well, judging by the giggling as they clung to one another down the hallway, probably not a whole lot of sleeping.

He figured Kuroo and him would be sharing a room, leaving the lovebirds to themselves, but what he didn’t expect was for the room to be positively miniscule.

The two twin beds are separated by a narrow space they have to shimmy through sideways.

He’s doing his best to keep his back turned on Kuroo, to gather what he needs for his shower and think of this as the same situation as training camps.

Only Kuroo keeps talking, going over his favorite parts of their day and asking Tsukishima about his in a tone that’s lost all his normal edge. His voice is soft and quiet, like he’s daydreaming as he speaks.

Tsukishima picks up his clothes and makes a beeline for the bathroom, decidedly not listening to the sounds coming from the second bedroom.

Kuroo is overwhelming. His presence demands attention. That’s all it is, this reaction he’s having to seeing him again in person. He’s just frustrating.

And fun.

There’s one photo from the day’s journey that he didn’t post anywhere. He wanted to because his smile actually, well, it looked good. But it was one of just him and Kuroo with the whole of the bay stretched out behind them. 

Right before he snapped it, Kuroo had poked fun at the cheesy photos Bokuto and Akaashi were taking and it made him laugh.

He looks at the photo and remembers the warmth of the sun on his skin and something else warm and content blooming in his chest.

***

Tsukishima’s plan that night is to keep his back turned and maintain some semblance of privacy, of distance between himself and his friend whose presence in his life has gotten decidedly more complicated these past few months.

“Hey Tsukki,” Kuroo’s voice cracks through his thoughts as he settles into the bed.

“Hm?”

“What was your favorite part of your first year at uni?”

The question catches him off-guard. “I don’t know.”

“What made you happy?”

There’s no traces of Kuroo’s normal sharp-witted tone. He sounds sleepy, but Tsukishima can hear the smile in his voice.

Tsukishima relaxes his shoulders into the mattress.

“I don’t know,” he repeats out of habit, but with Kuroo breathing softly so close to him, simply waiting for his answer, Tsukishima searches for something real.

“Classes were fine. I liked my anthropology course, but, weirdly, I liked volleyball practice the most. Surprising, right?”

“Nope. Makes perfect sense to me.”

Tsukishima’s lips curl into a secret smile.

They talk until they both fall asleep.

***

The next day on the road is filled with french fries in the car and castle towns by the sea in Aomori, with hiking up a trail that was tougher than it was marked and then soaking their tired bodies in a hot spring.

Tsukishima finds it very difficult to look at Bokuto and Akaashi’s naked torsos in the hot spring after hearing the things he heard last night.

Then he remembers how Kuroo looked while he was still sleeping this morning and decides he can’t really look at him half-naked either. He’s thankful for the steam as he puts his glasses back on and lets the world fade to a blurry white as their conversations grow sleepier and sillier and even he can’t help but laugh freely while his tired body relaxes deeper into the hot water.

***

Bokuto and Akaashi are unrepentant about the awful sleeping accommodations they found for that night.

“The bed’s huge,” Akaashi consoles, more interested in getting Bokuto back to their room than assuring Tsukishima and Kuroo that the single bed in their room is large enough for them to share.

Kuroo thinks it’s fine. He shrugs and heaves his bag onto the side he claims.

Tsukishima freezes in the doorway.

“Are we sleeping face-to-face or butt-to-butt?” Kuroo asks with a smirk.

“Neither,” Tsukishima decides and sets himself to the task of constructing a wall between them in the bed out of extra blankets pulled from the cabin’s living room.

The wall doesn’t deter Kuroo’s bedtime chats. That night he asks Tsukishima about how his family is doing.

Tsukishima doesn’t offer much until Kuroo tells him all about how his dad’s started up his own business, how Kuroo’s helping out, how he’s thinking of working there when he graduates--

“--maybe even picking up a few business classes to help out.”

“Is that what you want to do?” Tsukishima asks, his back still against the blanket wall.

Kuroo’s quiet for a moment before he responds, “not really. I see myself doing something sports related, but I think there’s always time for that. I’m young, right?” He laughs but it’s heavy with unspoken emotions. “He’s done so much for me and I really want to see this work out for him.”

Tsukishima replies only with a soft hum because his chest is tight but it doesn’t hurt, it feels sharp but wonderful and he wants to sleep after their long day but he suddenly feels very much awake and alive.

***

Tsukishima startles awake in the middle of the night.

Kuroo’s snoring. But that’s not what’s remarkable about the situation.

It’s that Kuroo’s lips are so close to the back of his neck that Tsukishima can feel every breath he takes.

His heart is pounding and he blames it on frustration over being woken up, but even he can’t convince himself this time.

Because he knows that he could get up and sleep on the lumpy couch, but he’s choosing to stay here. Of course he’s thinking of a thousand reasons why he might do that -- laziness, inconvenience -- but it has so much more to do with who it is pressed up against his back.

His thoughts race along with his heart beat, eyes wide awake to the darkness of the room.

It’ll be impossible to fall back asleep now.

Except it isn’t.

He starts to listen to the sound of Kuroo’s breath. He closes his eyes and syncs their breath. In and out, slower and slower, until his eyelids grow heavy.

***

In the morning Tsukishima jumps out of bed and out of Kuroo’s arms before the sun is even full up. By the time the rest of the cabin is awake, he’s wired on bad coffee and ready to hit the road.

Today is Tsukishima’s final day before he’s dropped back off in Miyagi and he’s acutely aware of a bittersweet feeling settling in his bones.

All morning he laughs a little more, talks a little more, relaxes a little more because he knows that this is it until they find another chance to be all together like this.

He actually joins the off-key singing in the car and everyone screams in delight before they start singing louder, enough to make the heads in other cars turn their way.

They prep themselves for another hike by filling up on more fast food and Akaashi’s ridiculously spicy chips.

In the backseat Kuroo keeps sliding nearer to Tsukishima, his hand so close that it makes the skin under his jeans tingle in anticipation of a touch that will never come.

That he realizes, with a start, he wishes would come.

But Kuroo just keeps leaning in between Bokuto and Akaashi’s seats to join in their conversation, his hand slipping behind him to push him forward.

He’s probably not even aware he’s doing it, Tsukishima tells himself. 

Then a hand is on his thigh.

“Come on,” Kuroo’s staring at him, “you gotta know this song, too. Everyone does!”

***

The hike is easier today, but the reward is so much greater. The Zao Okama Crater is literally breathtaking and none of them speak for some time. Side-by-side they stare into its impossibly green depths until Bokuto finally says simply, “whoa.”

Tsukishima agrees with a nod.

Eventually Bokuto and Akaashi walk to a different spot to take more photos together, but Tsukishima stays rooted in place. He’s struck by how small he feels, but also by how important everything feels in this moment. That he’s alive. That he has friends. That beauty like this exists in the world in so many different ways.

A hand brushing against the back of his startles him.

He must jump because Kuroo laughs softly and says, “sorry, didn’t mean to ruin your moment.”

“It’s okay,” he says quickly, subtly moving his hand so their skin touches again. “I don’t mind. Was just thinking ridiculous things.”

“I doubt that.”

Tsukishima makes a questioning sound, his eyes still focused on the crater.

“You’re hardly one to be ridiculous.”

Tsukishima puffs out a sarcastic laugh. “Standing here in front of a huge crater thinking about the majesty of life feels at least a little ridiculous.”

“Nah,” Kuroo replies simply, “‘cause it’s what I was doing, too.”

They’re silent for a beat, hands still brushing as they shift their weight while they stand, until Kuroo says, “time goes by fast, doesn’t it?”

“I guess.”

Kuroo hums and then falls silent again.

Tsukishima thinks back to Kuroo and Bokuto’s frantic texts about the trip, about being seniors and how they’re not sure when they’ll have the time to do things like this again.

That bittersweet feeling returns, but even with the perfect sight before him, it tastes a bit more bitter than sweet this time.

*** 

“No way, absolutely no way,” Tsukishima spins around in the doorframe to his shared bedroom with its very small one bed behind him. He glares daggers at the rest of the group. “I can barely fit on that thing, let alone _both_ of us.”

“It’s not that bad,” Akaashi says sweetly, peering over Tsukishima’s shoulder into the room. “It’s about the same size as the one last night and that was fine, right? If it’s really so bad, one of you could take the couch.”

“No way,” Kuroo says quickly, “that thing is hard and springy. It dug into my back!”

“And it smells _bad_ ,” Bokuto starts to laugh hard. Kuroo snickers, nodding.

The couch truly did have a unique odor. Like musty basements and sadness.

Which is how Tsukishima finds himself lying down with the warmth of Kuroo’s body pressed along his back.

Even in this position, Kuroo is completely undeterred from continuing their nightly chats.

Tonight he does more talking than asking, seemingly ready to dump a bunch of his excitement and worries for his final year of school onto listening ears.

And Tsukishima does listen, truly, glad that Kuroo feels comfortable enough to share, but also more than happy to fall asleep listening to the soft, deep timbre of Kuroo’s voice.

***

This time when Tsukishima’s startled awake by Kuroo’s snoring, it’s because the other man is fully wrapped around him. With his arm and leg thrown wide and his hot breath on Tsukishima’s neck, it’s not exactly sexy, but it’s not not enticing either.

Instantly Tsukishima’s entire body runs hot. His skin feels alight at every point where they touch. His breath catches in his throat.

He tries to wriggle free, but Kuroo holds on tighter.

He has the very distinct thought that this is how he leaves this world, melting in some old bed in a cabin.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tries to calm his heart, tries to match his breath to Kuroo’s and fall asleep like he did the night before.

There’s a sharp inhale behind him. Kuroo’s arm jerks. 

The arm around Tsukishima tries to pull away, but Tsukishima holds on.

“You can stay. I don’t mind,” he blurts.

“But--”

Tsukishima lets go, giving Kuroo an out if he doesn’t want this.

For a moment, neither of them move, scarcely breathing.

Then, gentle and hesitant, Kuroo shifts closer to him on the bed.

Tsukishima has no time to process his reaction before Kuroo’s lips touch the skin on the back of his neck.

His eyes bolt open wide.

“Did you mind that?” Kuroo whispers.

Tsukishima shakes his head against the pillow. “No,” he replies, breathless.

Slowly, Kuroo makes a place for himself in the crook of Tsukishima’s neck and then presses a kiss there, too.

He’d be embarrassed by the way his heart is thrashing in his chest, but Kuroo’s heartbeat is a drum, too. He can feel it in his back, in all the places where they’re connected.

“I like you, Tsukki. Have for an embarrassingly long amount of time.”

Tsukishima takes a moment to find his voice. “How long?”

Kuroo laughs softly. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day.” The arms around Tsukishima hold tighter. “I don’t know what next year and everything after that will bring, and I know I’ll be busy, but I selfishly want you to be there, with me. I know we’re far apart but--”

“Not selfish.”

“Hm?”

“I want you to be there for me, too.”

There’s another kiss at the back of his neck and he sighs into it, melting back into his embrace.

“Do you--” he can hear the worry in Kuroo’s voice, “like me, too?”

Surely his own ridiculous heart beat is the answer but Kuroo waits.

“Yes.”

Kuroo lets out an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh my god I’m so relieved. I’ve been so nervous this whole trip. Bokuto had me all worked up over telling you and I’ve tried to find all these moments but it was super hard and my mouth wouldn’t say it because, well, this whole time I’ve been trying, especially these past few months, and it doesn’t come out of my face right and--”

“Take a breath,” Tsukishima orders, smiling.

Kuroo loudly does just that before the rest of the words in his heart tumble out. “And tomorrow is our last day and I-- apparently I could only be close like I wanted to be in my sleep. Sorry about that by the way.”

“You’re so clingy,” Tsukishima jokes.

“Sorry,” Kuroo says again.

“It’s fine,” Tsukishima replies, deciding that hearing Kuroo being embarrassed is his new favorite thing. “I’m kind of glad you’re clingy. Helps me-- Helps me sleep.”

“Fuuuu-- you’re so cute.” Kuroo’s arms around him squeeze.

A charged silence fills the air after, neither of them daring to move until Tsukishima slowly shifts in Kuroo’s arms so he’s on his back, eyes still shut, too afraid to actually look at him as he asks--

“Can I kiss you?”

Kuroo’s lips find his so quickly he starts to laugh, but then he’s overwhelmed by the warmth growing in his chest and it’s all too easy to let go and give in.

The future is a sea of unknowns, but in this moment, with Kuroo’s arms around him, their lips exploring with a timid ease, Tsukishima’s not afraid. He can’t wait to see what’s next.

**Author's Note:**

> "And there was only one bed" is honestly one of my favorite tropes and I simply don't write it enough. Need. More.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments, kudos, and bookmarks make me smile! (And I always reply to comments...even if it takes me a while!)
> 
> Chat with me on Twitter - [@HeyMellieJellie](https://twitter.com/HeyMellieJellie). I scream about haikyuu a lot.


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